IP Library Granted Patent US 6,891,669
Granted Patent B2
US 6,891,669 · App. 10/854,566 · Granted May 10, 2005

Microscope system

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 6,891,669
App. No.
10/854,566
Granted
May 10, 2005
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to the present invention, there is provided a microscope system comprising an illuminating portion which illuminates a subject, an image forming lens which projects the subject illuminated by the illuminating portion onto an image pickup element, a light adjustment portion which adjusts a light amount of the illuminating portion, a zoom mechanism which changes a magnification of a subject image projected onto the image pickup element by the image forming lens, and a control portion which changes an excitement pulse width into the illuminating portion in synchronization with a driving pulse of the image pickup element in response to adjustment by the light adjustment portion to control the light amount of illumination light and which varies the excitement pulse width in accordance with the change of the magnification by the zoom mechanism.

Claims (34)

1. A microscope system comprising:

an illuminating portion which illuminates a subject;

an image forming lens which projects the subject illuminated by the illuminating portion onto an image pickup element;

a light adjustment portion which adjusts a light amount of the illuminating portion;

a zoom mechanism which changes a magnification of a subject image projected onto the image pickup element by the image forming lens; and

a control portion which changes an excitement pulse width into the illuminating portion in synchronization with a driving pulse of the image pickup element in response to adjustment by the light adjustment portion to control the light amount of illumination light and which varies the excitement pulse width in accordance with the change of the magnification by the zoom mechanism.

2. The microscope system according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion gives priority to adjustment by the light adjustment portion to control the light amount of the illumination light.

3. The microscope system according to claim 1 , wherein the image pickup element is driven, even when the light amount of the illumination light is minimized by the light adjustment portion.

4. The microscope system according to claim 1 , wherein the light adjustment portion can allow the excitement pulse width to be variable to maximum from minimum, and is integrated with a switch portion which stops excitation of the illuminating portion.

5. The microscope system according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion changes the excitement pulse width in accordance with a rotation angle of the light adjustment portion.

6. The microscope system according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion changes the excitement pulse width in accordance with a rotation angle of the zoom mechanism.

7. A microscope system comprising:

an illuminating portion which illuminates a subject;

an image forming lens which projects the subject illuminated by the illuminating portion onto an image pickup element;

an illumination angle change mechanism which changes an illumination angle onto the subject by the illuminating portion;

a light adjustment portion which adjusts a light amount of the illuminating portion;

a zoom mechanism which changes a magnification of a subject image projected onto the image pickup element by the image forming lens;

a control portion which changes an excitement pulse width into the illuminating portion in synchronization with a driving pulse of the image pickup element in response to adjustment by the light adjustment portion to control the light amount of illumination light and which varies the excitement pulse width in accordance with the change of the magnification by the zoom mechanism; and

a maximum light amount indication portion which maximizes the light amount of the illumination light by control of the control portion irrespective of a state of the light adjustment portion.

8. The microscope system according to claim 7 , wherein the illumination angle change mechanism moves the illuminating portion to a position on the same side as that of the image pickup element from a position disposed opposite to the image pickup element with respect to the subject.

9. The microscope system according to claim 8 , wherein the illumination angle change mechanism is linked with the maximum light amount indication portion, and

the control portion maximizes the light amount of the illumination light, when the illumination angle change mechanism moves the illuminating portion to a predetermined position.

10. The microscope system according to claim 7 , wherein the control portion gives priority to control in accordance with the light adjustment portion rather than to control in accordance with the maximum light amount indication portion.

11. A microscope system comprising:

an illuminating portion which illuminates a subject;

an image forming lens which projects the subject illuminated by the illuminating portion onto an image pickup element;

a light adjustment portion which adjusts a light amount of the illuminating portion;

a zoom mechanism which changes a magnification of a subject image projected onto the image pickup element by the image forming lens;

a control portion which changes an excitement pulse width into the illuminating portion in synchronization with a driving pulse of the image pickup element in response to adjustment by the light adjustment portion to control the light amount of illumination light and which varies the excitement pulse width in accordance with the change of the magnification by the zoom mechanism; and

a notification portion which notifies a state of the light amount of the illumination light in accordance with the excitement pulse width into the illuminating portion of the control portion.

12. The microscope system according to claim 11 , wherein the notification portion displays the state of the light amount of the illumination light in accordance with the excitement pulse width into the illuminating portion.

13. The microscope system according to claim 11 , wherein the notification portion converts the state of the light amount of the illumination light into sound in accordance with the excitement pulse width into the illuminating portion to notify the state.

14. The microscope system according to claim 11 , wherein the notification portion superposes/displays the state of the light amount of the illumination light in accordance with the excitement pulse width into the illuminating portion onto the subject image picked up by the image pickup element.

15. The microscope system according to claim 11 , wherein the notification portion warns/notifies a light adjustment dead band state in which the light amount of the illumination light controlled by the control portion does not change.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 8, 2022
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: EVIDENT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 060741/0576 →
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Jun 27, 2016
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 039344/0502 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 26, 2004
From: YONEYAMA, TAKASHI; SHIROTA, TETSUYA; KANAO, MASATO; UCHIDA, TOMOHIRO
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 015401/0176 →